A look into the inner workings of the NRA and its influence, featuring interviews with government leaders, NRA representatives and people whose lives have been personally touched by gun violence.
If your going into The Price Of Freedom expecting new information about gun violence or the NRA then you are going to be very disappointed. Because a lot of this information is either very well known or can be looked up easily with a quick google search. What makes The Price Of Freedom interesting is it has a ton of interviews from all sides you have politicians, parents of school shooting victims and even NRA officials or people who use to be part of it but are no longer. They talk about their values and just hearing one of them brag about how they influenced the 2016 election with fear it makes you incredibly angry. That I believe is where the true power of the film comes in and it definitely works. It’s definitely an interesting look on this topic the documentary also goes over the NRA’s history which I thought was well detailed and would give anyone who’s unfamiliar with their history a pretty good rundown of what they are. The Price Of Freedom is a very good starting point for people who want to learn about gun violence and the reactions to it, people who know a lot about the subject will probably still find this one interesting. Just don’t go in expecting anything brand new!
The Price Of Freedom releases July 7th in theaters!
Famous feline Abatutu presents this charming celebration of cats, showcasing their finest and friskiest moments with a collection of home videos.
Kitty Love: An Homage To Cats is basically an hour long special of compilation of cat videos! However what’s interesting about it is a famous cat from the Netherlands named Abatutu who presents the documentary and leave commentary. The special is exactly how you would expect it to be, show a bunch of cute cats talk a little bit about Abatutu and call it a day. However I found it cute and quite enjoyable, it’s not anything groundbreaking but for what it’s trying to go for you can’t really argue that it didn’t succeed. Sure it might not be as in depth as Kedi (a fantastic cat documentary) but it’s a very enjoyable one that any cat lover would absolutely love! As far as filmmaking again it’s nothing mind blowing but as I said a very cute documentary! Really not much else to say here!
Kitty Love: An Homage To Cats Is now available on Netflix!
A behind-the-scenes look at P!NK as she balances family and life on the road, leading up to her first Wembley Stadium performance on 2019’s “Beautiful Trauma” world tour
This is sort of hard to review but I’ll try my best. P!nk All I Know So Far focuses on P!nk and her relationship with her daughter which is touching and absolutely beautiful, it’s one of those documentaries where you get to see more into a celebrity’s life that feels raw and meaningful. A lot of the film is behind the scenes and home videos which again keeps it more interesting, P!nk really shows the audience how she keeps a balance between family and her career as it can be hard to balance the two. It’s a very wholesome documentary, it’s almost like those old family videos your family made when you were younger. It does surprise me how Amazon did very little advertising for this documentary because it is quite interesting. As far as filmmaking there really isn’t anything mind blowing but I feel in this case it really doesn’t have to be. If your a fan of P!nk you are most definitely going to love this documentary!
P!nk: All I know So Far is now available on Amazon Prime Video!
Colombian reggaeton singer J Balvin prepares for his 2019 homecoming concert amid intense political turmoil, in Matthew Heineman’s latest documentary.
I was very unfamiliar who J Balvin is , I knew of him and know some of his songs but that’s about it. I feel like the best bits in this movie are when it tackles Balvin’s depression and anxiety it starts to feel somewhat relatable…it’s too bad the rest of the documentary couldn’t do that, look I’m glad J Balvin eventually did use his platform to speak about what was going on in Colombia the problem is for way too long he felt like he “was obligated” to comment and use his platform. Which I get being scared about commenting on politics (look what happened to The Chicks previously known as The Dixie Chicks) but in this case I would argue is a little different, his fans were actually the ones who wanted him to say something. It’s very hard to actually review this movie to be quite honest because nobody really knows what was in J Balvin’s mind, as far as how well made it is? It’s nothing really special but nothing bad either. It’s something that I really don’t think I’m ever going to watch again. If your a fan of J Balvin you will probably like this one.
The Boy From Medellin is now available on Amazon Prime Video!
I apologize this is pretty late between festivals and other stuff I’ve been delaying this for a bit. But here it is better late then never, I do want to clear up that I’ll be going back to a Top 60 Best and Worst when it comes time to do the 2021 lists. The only reason why I decided on doing a top 100 for 2020 was to give other films a chance to shine due to COVID-19. For 100-26 I won’t be talking about them at all except for maybe a few movies that just missed the top 25. For the Top 25 I’ll say a few things about them but nothing too crazy. With that said I hope you enjoy and hope this helps you find movies you want to watch.
#100-85#84-#69#68-#53#52-#37#36-#29
So a few here that just barely missed the top 25.
Wolfwalkers is a fantastic animated film that really tells a beautiful story in great detail and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom gives arguably Chadwick Boseman’s best performance of his career!
#28-#26
The Lodge is definitely a strange but fantastic horror film, it released in early February of 2020 and I definitely feel a lot of people missed it. It’s a pretty interesting horror movie that keeps you guessing on what’s going to happen next definitely recommended. And Happiest Season I wanted to put in the Top 25 really badly but the competition in 2020 was really tough. It’s a fantastic film and as I said in my review I can definitely see it becoming a classic to watch during the holidays.
Now for the Top 25!
25. Miss Americana – This film was an early favorite of 2020 coming out in January and on Netflix. This is one of the few documentaries where you actually get to see a human side to an artist in this case Taylor Swift. Which she share’s pretty much everything with the audience, I absolutely admire the energy of this documentary Taylor is telling everyone who attacked or made stuff up about her that she’s not going to be pushed around anymore. You also actually start to feel for her as well seeing the media pretty much slander her, create false narratives that doesn’t exist and much more. Truly a fantastic documentary that I haven’t forgotten about
24. Time – This is a personal about Fox Rich fighting for the release of her husband, the documentary is power that’s honestly the best way to sum it up. It shows how much Fox loves her husband to the point where you feel the pain and sadness she’s going through, this is seriously a beautifully made documentary that will most definitely make you cry.
23. Hamilton – Not much to say here to be quite honest, before I saw the performance on Disney+ I actually had never seen Hamilton before but I always wanted to. So it was great opportunity when Disney+ had recording Hamilton, what’s even better is it makes you feel like you are right there in the theater.
22. Dick Johnson Is Dead – A fantastic idea that is executed perfectly, the documentary is effect due to Kristen and her father’s relationship it’s both hilarious and meaningful.
21. Relic – A very horrifying take on Dementia, Natalie Erika James absolutely knocks it out of the park in the director’s chair, she knows how to make interesting character development and how to make a film as haunting as possible. When you combine that with the atmosphere it’s truly horrifying!
20. Euphoria: Trouble Don’t Last Always – Again another one with not much to say, it’s a fantastic look at Rue and Ali’s characters. Both are going through several problems and they talk out, it’s a very realistic and emotional look at a conversation about drug addiction. Levinson does a fantastic job with the directing and the character development as I said before is fantastic.
19. Host – Host just sort of came out of nowhere and ended up being on a lot of people’s favorite films of 2020 lists and mine is no exception. I’m a huge fan of the social media horror/thriller movies, like Searching, Cam, Unfriended, The Den and a few others! Host ends up being one of the absolute best, it’s entirely on a Zoom call which ends up giving the film a much more realistic approach as well, the film itself is very atmospheric, haunting and just an overall a incredible ride that may only be 56 minutes long but it’s much more effective than a lot of Hollywood horror movies.
18. Shirley – 2020 was definitely Elisabeth Moss’s year when it came to film, She absolutely knocked it out of the park with her role in Shirley. It feels like a dreamlike horror of a fairytale, Josephine Decker’s direction feels like a fantasy come to life combined with beautiful cinematography and a hypnotic feel to the film. It’s truly a beautiful display of storytelling!
17. Bad Education – Cory Finley did a fantastic job with his previous film Thoroughbreds and he did a fantastic job here! Hugh Jackman and Alison Janney both do an incredible job, the film does a fantastic job of telling the story of the largest public school embezzlement in American history, the writing is flawless and leads to incredibly raw moments. Make sure to watch this one if you haven’t already!
16. The King Of Staten Island – Pete Davidson also had a strong year when it came to movies, first with Big Time Adolescent and then with King Of Staten Island. The best way to sum up King Of Staten Island is that everything about it is raw, the acting is raw, the writing is raw, the film is shot in this very raw style. The story is simple yet very interesting as well, it has that “showing the daily lives or life of a certain person or group of people” type feel. Truly a remarkable film!
15. One Night In Miami – The idea of having four different black icons (Malcolm X, Cassius Clay, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke) telling their thoughts on topics such as civil rights movement, the black community and much more makes a very interesting concept that results in a flawless execution. One Night In Miami gets even stronger when all four have a discussion with each other. Sharing their agreements, disagreements and topics they feel neutral on, it really explores who they are and what they ultimately think about the topic. The four sharing very different viewpoints and ideas is truly fascinating. Regina King knocks it out of the park with her direction as well!
14. Soul – One of Pixar’s strongest films, it hits you with all sorts of questions that you start to think about in a very deep way, Soul is definitely a very human movie about our choices, what we want to do in the future and so on. The storytelling is just that strong and magical truly masterful!
13. The Devil All The Time – “Some people are born just made to be buried” “It is our delusions that lead us to sin” those quotes really sum up how dark this film is, it’s truly an incredible film that looks at a small town and just how messed up pretty much everyone in the town is Robert Pattinson and Tom Holland are both fantastic as well as Sebastian Stan and Bill Skarsgard!! Truly a messed up film that I recommend!
12. Lovers Rock – 70 Minutes of some of the most beautiful scenes I’ve seen in a film of 2020, from the acting, to the writing to the absolute beautiful “Silly Games” scene it made me cry at least 3 different times Steve McQueen really did a fantastic job!
11. The Invisible Man – Leigh Whannell has proven he’s an Incredibly talented director after his previous film Upgrade there came Invisible Man which is truly an incredible horror film. Elisabeth Moss slays it in her role and truly gives a raw performance that is quite powerful! The film tackles PTSD In a very respectful manner as well which is again because Whannell set out to make this movie as good as possible. It’s haunting, surprising and truly one dark horror film that doesn’t hold back at all.
10. Possessor – kicking off the top 10 we have Possessor a disturbing horror film that Brandon Cronenberg did a wonderful job with. Between the brutal kills, the haunting atmosphere, the writing and acting being as realistic as possible and so much more Possessor really hits it out of the park when it comes to horror films that will definitely go on to be modern classics
9. Promising Young Woman – Carey Mulligan is fantastic in the leading role, Emerald Fennell’s realistic direction makes this film all the more powerful, the aesthetic of the film is just wonderful and the thrilling atmosphere really gives this film so much strength, the paths this film took were smart. It’s definitely not for everyone but for me it’s quite great!
8. I’m Thinking Of Ending Things – Definitely 2020’s “what the hell did I just watch?” Movie in the best way possible, it’s a very well acted film that really keeps you guessing of what’s real and what’s not. Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons and Toni Collette all do a fantastic job in their roles, Kaufman’s direction is masterful and the film itself is a one of a kind experience!
7. The Assistant – One of the most powerful films of 2020, it depicts sexual abuse In the work place in the most realistic way possible, Julia Garner does a fantastic job, the film also never ends up showing the boss which I still think is really clever of the film. Kitty Green does a great job of creating the mannerisms of the co-workers in the type of environment and so much more. It’s an incredible disturbing watch that I still think about.
5. First Cow – it’s a film that says a lot while doing the smallest things. John Magaro and Orion Lee both hit it out of the park, both of them give raw performances combined with incredible writing truly makes them some of the best performances of the year. Just the discussions the both of them have with each other is fascinating to watch, it feels very grounded and it sticks with you as well. The friendship element I absolutely loved, the direction from Kelly Reichardt is very special she shows how realistic she wants this movie to be. She shows that showing the simplest things such as two characters having a simple discussion can be one of the strongest elements In a film, the music and the filming both are incredible. They both match the setting extremely well and give the viewer a feel of where it’s taking place.
4. Never Rarely Sometimes Always – This the type of film that just sticks with you, I’ve thought about this film constantly. The best word to describe the film is powerful, Sidney Flanigan gives one of the best performances of 2020 and truly does a perfect job, there are tons of scenes that ripped me to shreds truly an incredible film.
3. Minari – it’s the American Dream in a film, it’s everything that the dream stands for and Lee Isaac Chung showed just that on every single level.
2. Sound Of Metal – A film that makes you thankful for what you have, asks you what would happen if you woke up one day and lost something that is your happiness and it can slip away just like that. In this case it’s hearing which is important to a drummer, Riz Ahmed gives one of the most emotional and truly impactful roles.
1. Nomadland – Chloe Zhao really went and directed one of the most beautiful films out there, Nomadland takes the spot of number one because of how meaningful, beautiful, emotional and raw it really is. From the music, to the acting, writing, direction and so much more. It really does feel like you are on a trip with Fern. Nomadland is simply a masterpiece that is on a whole other level, it’s truly something you don’t see often at all in film. Chloe Zhao is truly Incredible and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
“One of the things I love most about this life is that there’s no final goodbye. You know, I’ve met hundreds of people out here and I don’t ever say a final goodbye. I always just say, “I’ll see you down the road.”
Thank you for your patience with this list! I hope you enjoyed!!
A documentary on the career and life of filmmaker and raconteur Kevin Smith.
Clerk is exactly what you expect it to be and is the very definition of a straightforward documentary, it goes over Kevin Smith’s career and life. For a lot of people this is going to be nostalgic, others are going to love this documentary because it has a lot of information on Kevin Smith. Heck I would argue that this is one of the best and fastest ways to get a lot of information on Kevin Smith if you don’t know who he is or know of him but don’t know much about him. A lot of the information is already public knowledge and you could just as easily look on Smith’s Wikipedia page however there’s a special charm to it being in documentary form. You get to see Kevin Smith talk which he comes off as a genuinely great person and you get to see his family and friends talk about him as well! As far as the filmmaking it’s nothing too crazy it’s very standard when it comes to documentary films. Of course that’s definitely not a bad thing at all just nothing really noteworthy! If you are a die hard Kevin Smith fan you will absolutely love this movie and I recommend checking this out once it releases!
Charli XCX, a pop star in quarantine embarks on a whirlwind journey making an album in 40 days that tests her creative and emotional limits and unites a global community of vulnerable LGBTQ+ fans.
Alone Together is a very straightforward documentary that gets straight to the point, Charli XCX shows how she makes, prepares and her motivations on making an album. If it’s one thing that is clear in this documentary it’s the relationship Charli XCX has with her fans, she genuinely cares about them and it’s shown how frequently she interacted with her fans during the pandemic. Which were mostly from Zoom and Instagram, it’s not everyday that we get to see a relationship between fans and a celebrity! This is also another case of showing a more human side to a celebrity, you get to see how Charli XCX felt about the pandemic, what she was thinking, why she loves her fans so much and a lot more. The editing does have some slight flaws but it’s not enough to bring this film down! It’s neatly made and is quite a lot of fun to look at as well! Overall Alone Together is great, I definitely recommend this to fans of Charlie XCX!!
Drawn from an archive of 16mm film, Tom Petty works on his 1994 album Wildflowers.
I’m not huge on Tom Petty unfortunately, but I still wanted to give this documentary a shot and I came out really liking it. Tom Petty seemed like a man who genuinely loved making music and loved to make people happy. The film itself was beautifully made with some never before seen footage and some very interesting stylistic choices as well. It’s a very straightforward documentary that understands what it’s set out to do and gets the job done pretty well. The only main criticism is that I do feel it doesn’t quite reach the 90 minute running time mark as it does start getting repetitive. But with tons of interviews of Perry’s family and friends, some relaxing music and very interesting footage it does take you into Petty’s world! This is most definitely for Tom Petty fans!
Documentary series, explores aspects that led to Demi Lovato’s nearly fatal overdose in 2018, and her awakenings in the aftermath.
I have always liked Demi Lovato’s music, she has a very strong voice granted I’m not that huge of fan as I once was. In 2018 Demi Lovato had a overdose I knew it was bad but the documentary only reveals things were a lot more than that. The documentary is also another honest look at a celebrity kind of like how I mentioned Billie Eilish The World’s A Little Blurry was a honest and raw look at Billie. Well in this case the same can be said about Demi Lovato, there’s also a number of very surprising topics that come up in this documentary such as showing once again how child stars are taken advantage of and how horribly treated they are. Demi Lovato reveals that she was raped as a teenager, she says it occurred when she was in with the Disney crowd and that she had to see this person on a “regular basis”. Demi did not name the person but that’s probably due to her not feeling read quite yet which is very understandable. Demi also reveals she was sexually assaulted on the night of her overdose… As the documentary goes on you begin to realize how bad this situation was and how normally an overdose of this level ends up in death, you also begin to feel like you know her more as a person. The documentary can be very hard to watch at times but it is very important for Demi Lovato’s story, as a film it was very neatly done! I’m sure some of the editing was flawed because of the documentary actually being a 4 part series that’s going to be released on YouTube so I don’t think it’s the documentary’s fault. The ending leaves the audience with a hopeful feeling that Demi will win her battle as she is doing better, this is very educational when it comes to drug addiction you can’t just wake up one day and say “I’m going to stop taking drugs” that’s not how it works at the slightest. The Documentary explains that very well and shows you have no idea what anyone is going through, here’s to hoping Demi Lovato is on a better path now! I highly recommend checking this out when it releases March 23rd 2021!
An intimate look at the singer-songwriter’s journey, navigating life on the road, on stage, and at home, while creating her debut album.
Billie Eilish is currently one of the biggest stars, I’ve been a huge fan of her’s since she started. This documentary is unlike any documentary about a celebrity it’s a coming of age story from when Billie was at the age 16 (when R.J. Cutler started filming her before her success) to where she is now as one of the biggest stars in the world. I feel like what I have always liked about Billie Eilish is that she comes off as one of the most real celebrities, she genuinely cares for her fans and audience and when you actually sit down and listen to her speak it’s quite impressive. That documentary proves that point even more, it shows a very human side to Billie, as I said earlier it’s a coming of age story and a truly beautiful one as well. You learn almost everything about Billie to the point where it feels like you are having a conversation with someone you listening to her tell you about her life. Billie talks about her Tourette’s syndrome and how she has suicidal thoughts but she expresses that through words rather than actions. One of the strongest things aspects is Billie’s beautiful relationship with her family, each of her family members taught her something for instance her mom taught her about songwriting, her dad taught her how to play the ukulele and the piano finally her brother produced her and was her songwriting cohort. The interactions between her and her family is seriously some of the most beautiful interactions I’ve seen in a long time, they all are there for each other no matter what and it’s truly a beautiful thing. As the documentary goes on you learn more and more about Billie and how she got to where she is now and you as the viewer get completely invested into it. A lot of things a lot of documentaries about celebrities don’t really do at all is show a human side to the celebrity they are talking about, a lot of the time it feels like we don’t learn much about their personality or how they are as people. Sure we are given information and told they are “nice and incredible” but we never see that at all. With Billie Eilish The World’s A Little Blurry we get to see Billie’s actions, how Billie is as a person, how Billie reacts to certain situations and how she thinks and feels, it’s truly refreshing to actually see something completely different. And by the end of the film it feels like you know every single thing about Billie, her personality is truly beautiful, her determination is very inspiring, and her love for her fans and family is truly a beautiful thing. The documentary made me cry at least 3 different times it’s mostly due to Billie’s journey as an artist and just how beautifully made this documentary is, this is the type of filmmaking that really gets me the most. Seeing the life, or lives of a certain person or group of people is truly amazing and inspiring. You also start feeling like you can relate to Billie given how much information you are told, any documentary that can get you to feel relatable to a celebrity and to bring out a human side of them I feel is successful. Overall Billie Eilish The World’s A Little Blurry is masterful, I absolutely recommend you check this one out. It’s definitely one of the highlights so far this year!
Jerome Reviews... 